WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Jajuan Nicholls posted his first double-double as a Thunderbird with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Southern Utah answered an early 5-0 deficit by scoring 12 of the next 17 points to take a 12-10 lead before Wake Forest pulled away for an 89-51 win on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at LJVM Coliseum.
The Thunderbirds (3-2) closed their two-game North Carolina trip against their first ACC opponent of the season, in front of 6,206 fans. It was the first meeting between the programs since at least 2000-01.
Chase Degraffenried hit both of his 3-point attempts in the first five minutes and finished with seven points and two assists. Anthony Breland added seven points, Jalik Nicholls scored five points in three minutes, and Rashaad Davis handed out four assists, three of them during SUU's early push to the lead.
Storylines
Nicholls Owns The Paint
Jajuan Nicholls set SUU highs with 10 rebounds, two blocks and 26 minutes. He grabbed seven defensive rebounds and three offensive boards, with six of his rebounds coming in the second half. His 12 points gave him double figures for the fourth time in five games this season.
Nicholls blocked two shots in the second half, at 11:53 and 9:02. With 27 rebounds this season, he now leads SUU, and his 57 points rank second on the team.
Degraffenried Dials Up Early Threes
Degraffenried opened SUU's scoring with a 3-pointer off a Davis assist at 18:07 and hit another from the same pairing at 15:28 to give the Thunderbirds a 12-10 lead. He also assisted on two Jajuan Nicholls layups, at 16:39 and 7:03 of the first half. Degraffenried is 8 of 14 (.571) from 3-point range this season.
Davis Directs The Offense
Davis assisted on three of SUU's first five baskets, setting up both Degraffenried 3-pointers and a Jaiden Feroah layup at 16:04. He added a fourth assist on a Feroah jumper early in the second half and scored on a jumper at 17:39. Davis leads SUU with 23 assists this season.
Breland And Barclay Connect
Breland scored on a jumper after a Feroah steal at 10:26 of the first half and hit a 3-pointer off a Cale Barclay feed at 1:55. He added two free throws late in the game and leads SUU with 64 points this season. Barclay grabbed three offensive rebounds, made 3 of 4 free throws and had a steal that set up two Feroah free throws to open the second half. Barclay has 16 assists and one turnover this season.
Winning At The Line
SUU made 15 free throws to Wake Forest's 14. Barclay, Feroah, Jajuan Nicholls, Mikhail Protsenko, DJ Smith and Breland each made two or more.
Jalik Nicholls Makes The Most Of His Minutes
Jalik Nicholls checked in at 3:21 of the second half and scored on a layup off a DJ Smith assist at 2:54, then hit a 3-pointer at 2:14. He went 2 of 2 from the field and 1 of 1 from 3-point range in three minutes.
Perfect Protsenko
Protsenko made both of his free throws at 3:21 and came up with a steal at 5:23 of the second half. The 7-foot-1 freshman did not attempt a field goal and remains 13 of 13 from the field this season.
Everybody In
All 15 Thunderbirds played. SUU got 21 points from its bench, with Breland, Jalik Nicholls, Riak, Davis, Smith and Protsenko all scoring.
Game Flow
Thunderbirds Strike First
After Wake Forest opened a 5-0 lead, Degraffenried answered with a 3-pointer at 18:07. Jajuan Nicholls followed with a dunk at 17:25 and a layup off a Degraffenried assist at 16:39. Feroah's layup off a Davis assist at 16:04 made it 10-9, and Degraffenried's second 3-pointer at 15:28 put SUU ahead 12-10, capping a 12-5 run over 2:39.
Trading Baskets
Wake Forest tied it at 12-12, and Juok Riak's jumper at 13:52 tied the game again at 14-14. Jajuan Nicholls scored on a layup at 12:44 to make it 18-16 Wake Forest.
Sanders Steals One
Dylan Sanders came up with a steal at 7:43 and scored on a jumper at 7:38. Jajuan Nicholls added a layup off a Degraffenried assist at 7:03 and Riak hit a free throw at 6:22.
Breland Beats The Clock
Barclay grabbed an offensive rebound at 2:12, and after a second SUU offensive board, Breland hit a 3-pointer off a Barclay assist at 1:55. Jajuan Nicholls pulled down a defensive rebound at the buzzer, and Wake Forest led 46-28 at halftime.
A Fast Start To The Second Half
SUU scored the first five points of the second half. Barclay's steal at 19:34 led to two Feroah free throws, Jajuan Nicholls made a free throw at 18:44 after grabbing a defensive rebound, and Davis hit a jumper at 17:39 to make it 46-33. Feroah's jumper off a Davis assist at 16:12 made it 50-35, and Barclay made back-to-back free throws at 15:30.
Nicholls Works Inside
Jajuan Nicholls grabbed a defensive rebound at 12:42 and scored on a layup off a Riak assist at 12:16, then blocked a shot at 11:53. He added another block at 9:02.
Closing Kick
SUU went on a 9-4 run late. Protsenko made two free throws at 3:21, Jalik Nicholls scored on a layup and hit a 3-pointer, and Breland made two free throws at 1:50 to make it 84-51.
By The Numbers
- 12-5: SUU's run from a 5-0 deficit to its 12-10 lead.
- 2 of 2: Degraffenried's 3-point shooting, both in the first five minutes.
- 10: Jajuan Nicholls' rebounds, his most as a Thunderbird.
- 27: Jajuan Nicholls' season rebound total, tops on the team.
- 15-14: SUU's edge in made free throws.
- 5-0: SUU's run to open the second half.
- 13 of 13: Protsenko's field-goal shooting this season.
- 21: Bench points.
- 15: Thunderbirds who played.
- 484: SUU's points through five games, the second most through a season's first five since at least 2000-01 (491 in 2022-23).
"Wake Forest is a big, physical team, and give them credit, they used that physicality to take us out of what we want to do. We came out and punched first, but they made it hard for us to get into our rhythm and play our game. That's a level of physicality we're going to see again, and we have to learn from it and be ready to match it as we head to Texas."
Up Next
SUU continues its six-game stretch away from Cedar City with a trip to Austin, Texas, for a Thursday, Nov. 19, matchup at Texas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MT.
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